SAN MARCOS, Tex. (October 15, 2022) – Once again, the Rollins waterski team found themselves competing against the best of the best at the National Collegiate Water Ski Association National Championship. By the end of day three, the Tars found themselves in sixth place, their ninth-straight year finishing in the Top 10 in the country.
NCWSA Results Page (Click 2022 Syndicate D1 Nationals)
The headliner for Rollins came from the trick department. On the men's side, which took place on day one of the event,
Pato Font, who earlier this season set a world-record at an independent event, and then a collegiate record a week later, captured first-place with a run of 6910 points, edging Alabama's Ryan Gay (6750 points). Font is the second straight Tar to capture gold in men's tricks, following in the footsteps of
Felipe Franco last year. Other Tars competing in men's tricks included
Topher Hummel (2980),
Collin Diviak (2430), and
Nathan Cherry (1210).
In women's tricks, held on the final day of competition,
Neilly Ross also captured a first-place finish with a run of 5430 points, besting Louisiana Lafayette's Kennedy Hansen by 450 points. This is Ross's first collegiate gold in tricks, after previously finishing as high as fourth in 2019.
Charlsey Newman scored a 910 for the Tars, while teammates
Peke Angulo and
Dar Bejerano checked in with performances of 840 and 820, respectively.
Mia Morgan rounded out the women's competitors, finishing with a score of 200.
Kamil Belmrah placed the highest among Rollins men's slalom, finishing with a score of 109.50, which was good for seventh overall. He skied 1.5 buoys at 39.5 feet off-rope. Font checked-in with a score of 106.00 with four buoys at 38 feet off. Next in line were
Will Bruzzese (103.00), Hummel (97.00), and Diviak (84.00).
Ross made her case as the top overall female skier at this year's event by adding a second-place finish to her resume in slalom. She scored an even 100.00 after skiing four buoys at 38 feet off-rope. She finished only 1.50 points behind champion Alexandra Garcia of Louisiana Lafayette. Other Tars in the competition included Angulo (87.00), Newman (82.00), Bejerano (76.00), and Morgan (71.00).
Jumps were the toughest session on the men's side as the Tars did not place in the Top 10. Diviak led the way with a distance of 103 feet. Right behind him were Cherry (89 feet), Hummel (86 feet),
Andrew Reese (61 feet), and
Jerome Verbaet (55 feet).
Newman had the top distance on the women's side, flying 115 feet, good for a 14
th place finish. Bejerano was the only other Tar to compete in women's jumps, with a top flight of 34 feet.
